Please be aware that this article discusses plot-points and spoilers from Season 1 of Telltale's The Walking Dead series and it's expansion DLC 400 Days. Before reading, play the game. If you've completed up to 400 days continue reading...and comment.

We begin The Walking Dead: 400 Days at Gil’s Pit stop – a backdrop which supports much of the action in this DLC episode. Our first view is a steady transition between a vibrant, functioning gas station, to an abandoned, solemn space, populated with ‘Walkers’. A lot has occurred here. Its surrounding terrain has been the scene for some horrific scenarios and on a notice board remains several photographs of missing individuals. 400 Days inspects the stories from five of these figures, spending approximately twenty minutes with each.

#1: VINCE – DAY 2

This may sound a faulty way to begin but I initially didn’t find myself connecting with Vince. The way his story commenced felt like too much of a parallel on Lee Everett’s introduction in ‘A New Day’. He’s murdered someone and he’s been arrested and he’s on his way to jail. It all felt familiar. The situation didn’t help by introducing Vince running past the Everett drug store in Macon – a central location to the first episode, after committing a murder and throwing the weapon in a bin in an alley…

However before I knew it I was back in Walking Dead territory. I’m imposing Vince’s identity amongst those around me, making impulsive decisions and taking charge of the scenario at hand. On the prison bus I’m positioned between Danny and Justin, as the two dispute over their current situation. Between another two prisoners, there’s clever uses of quip dialogue as one asks to ‘open a window’, juxtaposing the space between the claustrophobia of the bus and the infected space outside. It’s a slick way of asking where the real danger lies; outside with the walkers or inside a prison bus with a group of convicts – with backstories that are alien to one-another?

Just when you begin to think that the prison bus may act as an asylum to the danger outside, one convict is killed by another and ‘the window of opportunity’ arises to bring the infection in; and of course Vince, Justin and Danny take the opportunity to escape. However Vince is positioned with an alarming ultimatum as to whose ankle he fires at in order to remove the chains that bind them. Like the opening to this tale, this moment shadowed episode five, ‘No Time Left', where you’re given the choice to remove Lee’s arm. It submerged the feel of original storytelling with the already familiar. After choosing to remove Danny’s ankle and rescuing Justin, the two of them escape, leaving Danny bleeding out on the bus.

#2: WYATT – DAY 41

On this day, Wyatt, accompanied by his ‘friend’ Eddie, drive past the abandoned prison vehicle from Vince’s story when being chased by an unknown figure. This portion of the DLC offered some very interesting gameplay mechanics. As I’m talking to Eddie about a confrontation the two of them were recently involved in, I’m dispatching bullets with my six-shooter at the pursuing vehicle.

When the vehicle goes off road and averts into the wilderness nearby, the scenario became eerie. Did I shoot driver, forcing him off the road or is this person trying to flank me? “Maybe they crashed?” Wyatt suggests. The heavy mist and obscure visibility of the terrain ahead didn’t present me with any relief. It was a beautiful model of Noir crime fiction which is sustained when they hit someone in the middle of the road. Did they run over a walker or a living human?

Wyatt and Eddie decide to contest who investigates the victim with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors; a game that Wyatt loses. (I didn’t receive that trophy, no). It leaves me slowly approaching through the fog, resembling occurrences from Alan Wake (2010), before I arrive to investigate. The man is human and he appears to still be conscious. As I’m moving him to the vehicle, dispatching walkers in my way, the pursuer(s) from earlier arrive, leaving Eddie to make an impulsive decision to flee the scene with the car and leave Wyatt in the mist.

#3: RUSSELL – DAY 184

Immediately I recognize a familiar location. During episode three - ‘Long Road Ahead’ Lee stopped the R.V after hitting a Walker on the road. While Kenny detached the Walker from the foot of the tyre, a dispute involving Lilly and Ben, lead to Doug being shot in Lilly’s crossfire. Doug was left at the side of the road like road-kill while the group continued to break free from the pursuit of bandits who attacked the motor-inn.

Succeeding this moment is Russell, an African American teenager walking up the same road who stumbles upon a walker. Out in the distance a vehicle,that coincidentally appears to resemble the one pursuing Wyatt and Eddie in the previous story, is driving in his direction. To evade the vehicle, Russell lies at the side of the road, positioning himself next to the corpse of Doug. Russell is spotted however and the vehicle stops to confront him. He’s offered a ride and Russell takes it, assuming in this moment that the stranger is doing him a favour.

"Yes, I saved Doug over Carly."

Inside we learn the driver is called Nate and he appears quite deviated. He’s drinking whiskey while driving, embedding more danger in an already dangerous scenario – (Warning: Don’t hitchhike with strangers). He appears to analog Kenny from the first season, who drinks when somber, leading him to make senseless decisions. “We’ve all got our ways of coping with shit right? I guess I can come across a bit…whatever” Nate suggests. Assuming Nate is the same person who pursued Wyatt and Eddie, we can start to suspect that Nate is a little delirious. Moreover, he finds entertainment in putting Russell in danger with a passing walker, letting her grab him, taunting him with witticism, before driving away, leaving Russell terrified by the experience.

Shortly after the pair arrive at Gil’s pit stop to investigate if the station has gas, they’re immediately fired upon and quickly the pair of them flank the shooter and escape into the diner. The shooters, hidden in Red’s Diner who appear to be an old married couple who claim that Nate wears a mask, an illustration of hiding ones true nature andhe’s come back to ‘finish them off’, suggesting that Nate is perhaps villainy. Russell who is disorientated by the situation, can’t decide who to trust and leaves the scene. Once he steps outside he hears two gun shots, suggesting that Nate has killed the couple.

#4: BONNIE – DAY 220

As a lover of cinema, I found Bonnie’s episode one of my favorites. It allures to classic films like Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope (1948) – “What’s in the box?” to contemporary modern hits such as Quentin Tarantinio’s Pulp Fiction (1994) – “What’s in the suitcase?”

When Bonnie and Leland are encountered by Dee, there’s a question that is unanswered throughout this episode; “What is in Dee’s bag?” Before Dee can answer, the three of them are shot upon by unknown individuals and they make their escape into a field opposite Gil’s pitstop.

Once separated, Bonnie makes her pursuit past the pursuers and hides away. However when approached by an unknown figure she bludgeons the person across the head. Bonnie realizes this person is Dee. It’s the first case in this DLC that one of these new characters has struck and killed a living person, depending on how you view the instance involving Wyatt and Eddie. Leland and Bonnie take the bag but it’s still not revealed what was in it.

#5: SHEL – DAY 236-259

On day 236, at Red’s Diner, located at Gil’s pit stop, Shel, accompanied by an array of survivors are watching Becca – Shel’s sister, play the guitar. Shel discusses with one survivor - Stephanie, the trepidation she feels with regards to the impact the world is having on Becca. Becca quips that she’d like to look over the weapons, much to the surprise of Shel who refuses. Like Clementine in ‘season one’, there’s a sense of keeping children away from the danger but Becca is a little more wild – popping out of dark corners, pretending to be a walker – “What’s your problem. I do this all the time,” whereas Clementine was much more composed to the world around her.

There’s a real sense of domestication amongst this group of survivors. Roman discusses how Boyd has been working on a vegetable garden and asks Shel to feed the ‘watchdogs’. The ‘watchdogs’ are in fact two walkers implying they’re finding some use out of the undead. “I guess they know it’s feeding time,” Roman suggests. I believe – but it’s not made clear, that these are the same two individuals we suspect Nate shot at the end of Russell’s chapter.

Out front Roman has caught a ‘foreign’ stranger wandering around the pit stop scavenging for food and supplies. It’s an analog to “Staved for Help” – the pit stop illustrating the motor inn and the stranger illustrating a bandit. Shell suggests that the stranger should stay and contribute to the group at the dismay of others who suggest he can’t speak English. It’s a subtle theme with regards to racism and communication that gets Shel annoyed. Shel opts to let the stranger be set free as she sees the alternative as murder.

The big reveal on this day is that members of this community are from the Vernon’s group who were introduced hiding under Crawford in “Around Every Corner” before stealing the boat in “No Time Left”. The exposition reveals that this group made it out of Savannah before settling at this location although Vernon died somewhere between these two events.

On day 259, we understand that as a result of letting the stranger go, the camp came under attack which resulted in Boyd’s death. There’s another example of Becca’s wild nature when she confesses to Shel that she’s been sneaking out the perimeter. Once it’s been revealed that Stephanie has been caught stealing and trying to escape, Roman doesn’t hesitate to kill Stephanie. As a result of Shel protecting Becca from the same fate, she takes the R.V and flees the compound with Becca.

#EPILOGUE: TAVIA – DAY 400

Back at the missing notice board at Gil’s pit stop, Tavia takes the photographs and memorabilia of all five characters. Once taken she spots a fire out in the distance and looks to pursue. There she finds Bonnie, Vince, Sheil, Becca, Russell and Wytt, who at this point have camped together. Tavia offers them restoration at her base. She ‘claims’ to be a scout that brings survivors together up north and promises them all that she means them no harm. All the survivors decide to go with her but of course is Tavia all she appears to be? “How do we know this will work?” Vince comments.

I sure hope this was the right decision.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As set-ups go I’m very much looking forward to The Walking Dead: Season 2 this coming Autumn. Characters such as Wytt, Bonnie and Shel have me invested in continuing the adventure, whereas the whereabouts of Clementine and both Omid and Christa are yet still unanswered. The unease surrounding characters like Nate sets up a potential villain for Season 2 and we've yet found out what happens to Lilly.

What occurred in your run through of The Walking Dead: 400 Days? Did you spot anything that I perhaps missed? Do you trust Tavia? Leave a comment and be sure to follow my blog (District.Thompson) or follow me on Twitter at @MarkussTee_

“The less said about him, the better,” the female narrator suggests when we see Trevor attempting to flush a decapitated limb down the toilet. If this moment is anything to go by, then Grand Theft Auto V (5) is shaping up to be a throwback to the classic illustration of realism and satire that was so well beloved on the PlayStation 2 era with GTAIII, Vice City and San Andreas. The quote is also an analog to the way Rockstar market their games. The less we know about the narrative of Grand Theft Auto V, the more rewarding it is when its release day arrives. They very rarely/if ever show live demos of the game to the public, instead opting (this generation with Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3) to create mini features that guide the player through the universe to demonstrate how the created space breathes and operates.

And Los Santos operates beautifully. The space appears diverse yet fanatical. In fact there’s an awful lot of juxtaposition when setting up the world of Grand Theft Auto V (5). Mountains and oceans showcase verticality; expensive shops oppose the life of the wealthy against those who are suffering in the decayed terrain and urban cities present growth against the unexplored wilderness. It appears an immersive territory and how choose explore it is your choice.

"I see no reason to leave the house today."

I’ve always enjoyed the GTA series for the way it shapes various kinds of gaming experiences and crafts it all into one cohesive package and that’s what I missed in GTA 4 (IV). In terms of exploration it offered much less in comparison to San Andreas, thus keeping your participation on the main story and not the on-goings/distractions around you. I understand features were abandoned to focus on a more ‘realistic’ portrayal; and although I enjoyed it, I’m pleased to see Rockstar adding a touch of absurdity to the features again, just to add to that juxtaposition of style and gameplay.

Customizable cars and street races offers similarities to Midnight Club or Need of Speed, appealing to those who like racers; golf, tennis and cycling appeals to gamers with an eye for sport, and piloting planes, base jumping and diving into the depths of the ocean offer the familiar and the unknown to an already imaginative series. It's all combined with San Andreas' feature of progress tallies. Build up your experiance in Stamina, Strength, Shooting, Stealth, Flying, Driving, Lung Capacity and a 'Special' ability unique to all three playable characters. (2.23 of the trailer)

And then it’s suggested that, “Alongside all this leisure, people still need to take care of business.” Afterall, this is traditional GTA and a fair amount of the players’ time will operate in the single player experience. As you’re aware by now that time will be spent with Michael, Franklin and Trevor. The main difference that sets this apart to any other Rockstar game in the past is the intergration of various playable character. Yes. You play as all three of them. A brilliant demonstration showed Michael repelling down a skyscraper while the player switched to control Franklin covering him with a sniple rifle.

Oh and then there's the muliplayer.....If the tease is anything to go by then put your lives on hold September 17th.

Grand Theft Auto 5 is looking like the epitome of Rockstars catalouge of games to date. What did you like from the trailer. Did any features stand out for you? Grand Theft Auto V is due for release on 17th September 2013 and for further discussion leave a comment below. For any additional thoughts of mine take time to read previous blog posts; perhaps even follow my blog or even follow me on Twitter at @MarkussTee_

The ending to The Last of Us was simply magnificent. After the way Telltale’s The Walking Dead series pulled at the heartstrings last year, I knew Naughty Dog had a gauntlet to challenge if they were going to convince me they could match it. Could they have me tearing in those final moments, agonizingly pushing me towards the finale? In a word, yes. But that all came post-credits. What happened simply bewildered my senses. It sacrificed the traditional video game ending of a big boss battle, an emotional goodbye or a sacrifice for something much more anti-climactic. As a result, nothing prepared me for the subtle exchange of words that would, after reflecting on the moment, carry so much characterization and commentary, not only on the story but the world that I inhabit; the world that I love; the world that now terrifies me. At first I viewed the ending as the ‘To Be Continued’ moment Ellie warned us about on our way to Pittsburgh. An anti-climactic mess that felt meaningless. It took about thirty minutes before I got the trembles, and jumped back in to analyze the whole thing.

"A moment of restoration"

The moment imperative to begin with is when Joel and Ellie arrive in Salt Lake City, to find a giraffe, peacefully eating on leaves. It’s an occasion of pure beauty that juxtaposes the horror of the adventure prior to this moment. We’ve murdered, we’ve witnessed the demise of allies and yet here, in this one instance, we can relax and gaze upon restoration.

However in hindsight, the moment is an indication that suggests, despite the tragic collapse of mankind, the world is moving forward. Nature is claiming back land, animals are emerging once again, all while the human population is slowly dying out. We no longer present an essential force in this world. It’s an analog to the dinosaur era, only in this instance mankind is near extinction and the only hope for salvation lies with a fourteen year old girl, immune to the Cordyceps virus.

As the final act played out, I was convinced that Ellie would rescue mankind from extinction. Ellie was, throughout this story, prepared to sacrifice her own self in order to bestow a utopia on the world. “After all we’ve been through, everything that I’ve done, it can’t be for nothing,” she suggests. Despite this feeling though, the game managed to manipulate me into remembering that this is Naughty Dog’s story, not my own. What I suspect will happen, most likely won’t. The narrative prior to this moment had borrowed some clichés’ from zombie-apocalypse fiction, most notably the immune character who would present importance but the ending was something very unfamiliar; It was Joel that had the final action. He enters the operating theatre, and smuggles an unconscious Ellie away from the scene. He chooses the existence of one girl over the rest of humanity. He picks his own self need for companionship over a forsaken existence he was ready to attain when contemplating handing Ellie over to Tommy and the Fireflies. The only question left is, “Why?"

Constructing Joel

“What if the people are still inside? What if their trapped in there with no control over their bodies? I’m scared of that happening to me.” – Sam

My retrospective view of Joel parallels those who have decayed due to the parasitic virus, although for Joel his ‘infection’ is grief. This is a direct consequence of Sarah’s tragic passing in the prologue and his failure to rescue her has materialized into an infection he can’t cure. Thus, like the fungal infection, which takes over its hosts’ mind/body, Joel’s grief has altered his own and coherently the space around him. It’s essentially made Joel and the space he inhabits much more dangerous.

Firstly, think of Joel as an analog to the Clicker you first find in the Downtown area. It’s deceased and sprouting on the environment around itself. In addition, it’s also alone. Joel has disconnected from his brother Tommy and those from his past. All he holds onto is a watch, given to him by Sarah on his birthday, which Ellie mocks for being broken – a reflection of Joel’s psyche. Joel may have individuals around him but his infection is his own. He doesn’t intend to share it amongst others. He’ll expect to depart the world alone, escorted by it.

!Someone should really warn the school he won't be attending today.!

Developing on that analog further, think of the quarantine zone in Boston where we are introduced to Joel after the prologue. Theoretically, it’s a safe haven for those not infected but the illustration of the quarantine zone is distant from that concept. Joel’s infiltration into this space - with his own infection, has contributed to a more somber commentary. In that protected zone, he’s presented as a weapons smuggler and contributes, with Tess, in the murder of Robert. It’s easier to dismiss these actions and view it all as the foreground of survival but Joel and others have abused the ideology the quarantine zone represents. Therefore it sets up Joel and a selection of that population as immoral beings.

Thus it’s important to establish that Joel is not a hero. Usually without discussion, we set ourselves to assume that the protagonist we are managing is the good guy. I’m not suggesting that Joel never was, or possibly never could be but in this context he’s damaged. He encapsulates the term anti-hero. For example, during a bandit attack in Pittsburgh, Ellie asks him, “How did you know about the ambush?” to which Joel responds, “I’ve been on both sides.” The question is which side does Joel sit on at this present moment? His duty in protecting Ellie in this quest, sets him as a hero but his decisions and actions make him very callous. Ellie may gaze upon him as a hero but for the most part of the story Joel and his history is ambiguous to her. Her hero is another persons’ (David’s) ‘crazy man’.

Therefore is Joel’s action in taking Ellie from the operating table heroic or crazy? Is David’s assessment of Joel not that obscure after taking into context what he's done to get to this moment and what he does when he arrives? Like the quarantine zone, the place of that action – a hospital, is another image of a safe haven and Joel yet again betrays that ideology. Hospitals are where sick people are treated and rebirthed but he sneaks around the area dispatching the Fireflies, until he finds Ellie, eliminates the doctor(s) – depending on how many you killed - from the equation and walks out with his prize in his hands. He rebirths himself, curing his own infection by taking Ellie and walking out the front door. The reward is his own and nobody else’s. One doctor goes out to call Joel an animal. In fact the metaphor speaks volumes. He parallels a King Kong figure, emotionally attached to the female he loves, the person he can’t let go of and will fight mankind through wilderness to win her. It reveals Ellie in the finale, not as a person with a voice of her own, where she makes her own decisions, but as a trinket where different factions will battle to own her.

The Impact Of Children

It was always apparent to me early on that Ellie’s arrival in the narrative was to surrogate the loss of Sarah. Joel comments how Ellie and Sarah would have been good friends; they would’ve liked each other because they’re very similar. Thus Ellie is used as a repair mechanic for Joel’s grief. By the end of this story, Joel calls Ellie ‘baby-girl’, a direct analog to the moment he puts Sarah to bed and calls her by the same name. The one artifact (collectible) in the title that is key to supporting the relationship between the two characters, is the card Sarah forgets to hand Joel on his birthday. It reads, “You’re never around. You hate the music I’m into, you practically despise the movies I like and yet somehow you still manage to be the best Dad every year. How do you do that?"

With prior knowledge to the basic narrative to The Last of Us - knowing it would take place over the course of one year, I read that note and thought everything preceding this moment will authenticate how Joel is the best father in the world. In hindsight, it appears to showcase Sarah’s obscurity on reality. Like the scene with the giraffe, the observation of the scenario is harrowing. As children we all believe our parents are the best; in some cases they’re our hero’s but sometimes we aren’t aware they make bad decisions. We aren’t introduced to Sarah’s mother in the prologue; Is that because Joel made bad choices thus leaving the mother no option but to separate from him? It’s all unknown. He’s presented as a single parent and therefore we assert sympathy on him. The burden on his shoulders, living in a financially worrying climate (2013) and looking after a child must be excessive. He pleads with his brother Tommy down the phone that he needs a contract to go through, suggesting a possible financial worry.

The principal thing to remember is that Sarah isn’t killed by monster/beast, she’s killed by a man with a gun. While in Lincoln, Bill comments, “At least they’re (the infected) predictable, it’s the normal people who scare me. You of all people should know that.” Joel who had already lost one daughter at the hands of man, perhaps couldn’t let the same thing happen twice. What if experimenting on Ellie led to no cure? That outcome would have meant Ellie’s whole principal would have been for nothing; but instead of Joel letting the decision be hers, he makes it his and that’s wrong.

But it’s not the first time he does it. In the prologue, he chooses to leave a family, cited with a child, alone on the side of the road – Sarah claims they should have gone back for them, putting himself first and forsaking others to their own peril. It suggests that normal people make irrational choices and Joel is a primary example of that.

Kicking Us While We're Down: The Epilogue Sequence

After taking Ellie from the Firefly lab, we find both characters on a hill overlooking Tommy’s community. We can assume that the two of them are about settle at this point. However, before this can happen, Ellie needs some clarification from Joel about the intention of the Fireflies. He tells Ellie that the Fireflies had given up on looking for a cure; they’d tried multiple times, with multiple people who were immune and failed. After spending the duration of a year with Ellie, building this strong relationship, he looks into her eyes and lies to her. He doesn’t explain the irrational choice that he made. He doesn’t explain that he kills Marlene – another person that Ellie cared for.

It’s a happy ending for Joel. He’s found restoration as he stares out onto the small-town. His infection appears to be cured. He’s about to repair relationships with those from his past that he once distanced himself from, starting with his brother Tommy. Also he has ‘something to fight for’ in Ellie. He finally has the ‘daughter’ companion that he lost twenty years ago.

However, in contrast it’s a bitter ending for Ellie. She recites all those that she’s cared for and lost - her best friend Riley, Tess and Sam and says to Joel that she’s waiting for her turn, meaning her exit from the world. Her whole expectation throughout this journey was that she believed she had the potential to rescue mankind, bring it back to utopia, and that thought has been seized by a man she puts complete trust in, thus alienating her from the truth. Ellie leaves The Last Of Us the way Joel begins it. She’s infected, both literally with the Cordyceps virus, that’ll stigma her always and metaphorically with the grief of those she feels responsible for and the rupture she’s presented with. We know Joel was able to combat his own grief for twenty years to survive in this world but we know some people can’t endure that sorrow. When Sam is killed, Henry takes no moment to debate on his next step; he simply kills himself. There was nothing for him in this world once he lost the only thing worth fighting for. When Ellie turns and just murmurs “Okay,” my heart sank because I fear she’s been tortured by this whole experience; she’ll never get to witness the world she occasionally mocked but loathed to see one day. My only desire for Ellie once the title cuts to black is that she finds the strength to continue going, finding closure in the words Joel says to her – “You find something to fight for,” but seeing how she’s been stripped of that fight and how restoration arrives in small quantities, I fear the worst. At least Joel is happy though, right?

Few games don’t give you a moment to catch breath and those that do you usually avoid because you’re relentlessly pushing forward towards your next objective; you assume it’s just an obstacle, slowing down the pace of the adventure. Bioshock Infinite isn’t an inconvenience when it takes those moments. In fact the occasions when I’m restricted not to fire a weapon are the ones I remember most from this title, evidently shown through the duration of its first hour which is arguably my favorite opening to a game on this current platform. After arriving in Columbia - a city in the sky that’s so unfamiliar to anything I’ve inhabited in the past, I just admire and consume the surrounding terrain. Watching Columbia parades, barbershop quartet performances, children rejoicing around a broken water hydrant; it just all adds to a world that is so well realized. On top of all that you take part in a brief tutorial session – which isn’t forced, masked in funfair activities. Who said tutorials couldn’t be fun? And I mentioned all that without stating you even eat fruit from trashcans...Hooray.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Drake on a Train.

"Here goes nothing."

Uncharted 2’s supremacy at E3 2009 had me eagerly awaiting its release come October. From the opening sequence where our hero, Nathan Drake, wakes up on a train, derailed, hanging over the edge of a mountain, it was clear Naughty Dog had belief when it came to the games’ big central set piece. In fact after the opening sequence, we spent the first half of the game building to that moment and the train ride was the perfect exclamation to everything that preceded it. Traversing the tropical outskirts of Nepal, to the misty, snowy mountains of the Himalayas, it not only covers so much ground, it covers so many gameplay mechanics too. You cover shoot, you time your climb along the side of carriages carefully, and you jump from one carriage to the next all before ruling a mounted gun on a tank to take down a gunship. Most impressive is that the environment is forever changing around you. I’m just surprised that when it’s all over, Drake doesn’t sweep his hands and walk away.

Grand Theft Auto IV – The Bank Job.

Living the American Dream...And then some.

The Bank Job is just classic G.T.A. The characters begin the mission with an adrenaline, citing their perfect scheme, whilst you (as the player) are waiting for the situation to turn cold; and when the alarm is raised and the cops turn up, the playground opens. Being a fan of contemporary heist movies such as Inside Man (2006) and The Town, (2010) the satisfaction of pulling out that pistol or uzi and dispatching rounds at Liberty City’s forces, while you carry the cash on your shoulders is sinful yes, but rewarding. However If that isn’t rewarding enough for you, you can always equip a rocket launcher and bring a touch of Michael Bay to the moment, leaving a collection of burning vehicles in your wake. After all, you don’t earn big dollars in Grand Theft Auto without assisting in dangerous plots and no matter what the outcome is you aren’t cleaning the mess up.

Nevertheless, what stands out is GTA IV’s level of verticality. You begin from one side of town, travel to the other side, go to the bank, and loot the vault. Suddenly you’re having a gun fight in the street, pressing the back up in the alleys before losing them on the underground train tracks before making your escape back on the road. I wonder if they had a Plan B.

God of War III – Tackling Poseidon.

" Don't move. This won't hurt a bit."

This may be obtuse but God of War II (2) is reason I assured my alliance to Sony at the turn of the PlayStation 3. The ending of part two – standing on the back of Gaia, beginning your assault on Mount Olympus, was the moment I gasped at the prospect of what next-gen could bring and the opening to God of War III (3) didn’t disappoint. But it wasn’t the assault that blew me away, it was the confrontation with - first on our checklist, Poseidon that had me astonished. After a glorious battle, Kratos tackles him and throws him across the mountain before slowly approaching him and exerting pressure on his pupils. It’s as graphic as a moment similar in 28 Weeks Later (2007). It all takes place in first person view, from the perspective of the one who’s about to endure Krotos’ rage. After his brief hiatus between games, Kratos reminded us why he’s the most enraged protagonist in video game history; and he made us feel it; as if we needed reminding.

Far Cry 3 - Vaas and the Definition of Insanity.

"And when Alice entered Wonderland, Vaas was there to welcome her."

One thing gone unnoticed this generation is the hallmark of a truly exemplary antagonist. Thankfully, I’ll remember one by the time we move on to PlayStation IV (4). Vass is astonishingly atrocious. His actions throughout Far Cry 3 are set up on personal entertainment. He’s a fantastic analog to DC Comics’ Joker from the Batman universe; a man who simply enjoys the act of cheap, careless yet horrific crimes and laughs at the devastating effect they bring.

His monologue regarding insanity is a well-constructed metaphor to gamers themselves. He suggests; “Insanity is doing the exact same thing over and over again, expecting things to change. That is crazy.” How many first person shooters have you played? How many times have you played the campaign of your favorite game? The mechanics are the same and the campaign doesn’t change. That’s when Vass’ metamorphoses into a 3D figure thus reaching out through the TV and putting the player on the spot. For a shady individual, he’s extremely articulate with words and the remainder of Far Cry 3 never reached the same highs after his exit.